A Mother's Struggle
by Rishtar
Summary: This story demonstrates just how difficult it is to be the mother of a time-traveling miko.


A Day in the Life of Mrs. Higurashi  
The Horrible Truth  
  
It was a beautiful morning at Higurashi Shrine. The sun was shining through the trees, casting complex shadows across the stone patio. Birds chirped in the trees, refreshed and ready to sing for another day. Buyo, the Higurashis' large cat, stretched lazily as the sunbeam creeping across the floor in the kitchen reached his eyes before rolling over to face the wall and going back to sleep.  
Upstairs, Mrs. Higurashi awoke to the sound of a morning radio show. She sat up in bed and remained still for a moment, absorbing the warm bit of light that managed to struggle past the curtains on the windows. She stood and turned her alarm clock off before heading to the bathroom. After showering and getting dressed, she walked down the hallway and opened a door at the end.  
"Souta," she said warmly as she gently nudged him awake. "Wake up, it's time to get ready for school."  
Souta yawned and stretched slowly before obliging his mother. He stood up to change his clothes as she closed the door.  
Mrs. Higurashi started toward the stairs, but paused when her gaze fell upon an empty bed in the room adjacent to Souta's. She sighed sadly. Kagome, she thought, when will you be coming home this time? It's been so long….  
She forced herself to smile and walked down the stairs. There she found Grandpa, sitting in a chair and reading the morning paper. "Good morning," she said brightly to him.  
He responded with a vague nod and grunt, seemingly absorbed in whatever he was reading. She knew that he was in fact thinking of an excuse for her daughter, Kagome's, absence from school. It had been several days since he had informed her school that she had come down with a case of Hepatitis B, a disease she had long been vaccinated against.  
Mrs. Higurashi walked into the kitchen and pushed Buyo aside with her foot as she began to get out the dishes and ingredients necessary to make breakfast. As she was cooking, she once again found her thoughts wandering to her absent daughter. I hope she's okay…, she thought, fighting back tears. If anything had happened to her, she would never forgive herself for allowing Kagome to use that dreadful well.  
She served breakfast just as Souta was coming down the stairs. They all sat down and ate with nothing but Grandpa's muttering and their own chewing breaking the sweet silence of that gentle morning.  
A short time later, Mrs. Higurashi was standing in the doorway of the house and waving to Souta as he walked down the long stone staircase to the busy street. Grandpa brushed past her, going to tend to the shrine as he did every morning.  
"Oh, that's right!" he cried, smacking himself in the head. "I need to call Kagome's school!" With that he ran back into the house, and Mrs. Higurashi heard him saying something about emphysema into the phone. She rolled her eyes. Maybe it was time to put Grandpa in a home….  
Her thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of a head at the staircase from the street. Another followed it, and soon the two men had reached fully ascended the stairs. Grandpa rushed out just as the men reached the door.  
After watching him go, one of the men spoke. "Hello. Mrs. Higurashi?"Yes," she responded, wringing her hands.  
"I am Agent Honda, and this is Agent Toyota," he said as the two held up badges. "We are with child services. Did we miss your children?"Um," she replied nervously. "I'm sorry, but Souta just left for school, and Kagome's dreadfully sick."With what?" Toyota asked, producing a small steno pad and a ballpoint pen from his breast pocket.  
"Oh, uh." Mrs. Higurashi swallowed. "I believe--- I mean, it's emphysema." She had never hated her father more than she did at that moment.  
The agents raised their eyebrows, and Toyota paused a moment before jotting something down on his pad. Honda continued to stare at her.  
"Will she be all right?" Honda asked, a certain falsehood marinating his concerned tone.  
"The doctors say she'll be fine, and they expect a full recovery, thank goodness," she replied with a forced smile.  
"We really need to talk to her," Honda said impatiently.  
Mrs. Higurashi desperately wanted to wipe the sweat from her cheek, but did not want to look any more nervous than she already did. "Well, she really isn't up to--"Mrs. Higurashi," Honda interrupted, "your daughter doesn't really have emphysema, does she?"  
Her breathing quickened and her eyes went wide. What could she do? What could she say? They were going to find Kagome missing, Souta would go into a home, and she would be put in jail! Suddenly, the terrible silence was broken by a horrible retching sound upstairs.  
"She really isn't up to seeing anybody," she said insistently. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go take care of my daughter."  
The agents frowned. "We'll come back later then," Honda said, and after Toyota wrote down one final note, the agents turned and left.  
Mrs. Higurashi smiled at them and closed the door. As soon as she thought they were out of earshot, she fell to the ground and held her face in her hands as tears streamed down her cheeks.  
  
About an hour later, she was sitting on her bed, looking through a photo album. She smiled tearfully as she looked at a picture of the family on Kagome's fifteenth birthday, the last day of normalcy for them. Oh God, she thought desperately, I can't lose my babies, I just can't! She knew she couldn't depend on the cat getting sick every day, so what was she going to do?  
The sound of the front door opening downstairs made her stop looking at the photos. Grandpa was in much earlier than usual. She went to the stairs and was about to call to him when she heard it.  
"Mom! Grandpa! I'm home!"  
She quickly ran to the bathroom, wiped away her tears, and splashed cold water on her face. She then rushed downstairs, her face alight with happiness as she yelled "Kagome! Welcome home, I'm so glad to see you!"  
Kagome, beaming, ran to her mother and they embraced. "Thanks, Mom," she said, squeezing her mother tightly. "I missed you so much!"I missed you too!" Mrs. Higurashi replied, unable to keep all of her tears contained. "My dear, sweet daughter! I'm so happy to see you!" She abruptly pushed Kagome away and looked her up and down, holding her at arm's length. "You're okay, right? You're not hurt, are you?"Mom!" Kagome said impatiently. "I'm fine, okay? Inuyasha would never let anything happen to me! Let's just sit down and eat something, I haven't had a decent meal in days!"  
Mrs. Higurashi failed to fight off a shudder at the sound of that name, but Kagome didn't seem to notice. Hugging Kagome closely once again, she glared over her daughter's shoulder at the old well in the old, beaten building across the patio. She found herself wishing she could just fill that well with concrete so that Kagome could never see that wretched boy again. "So," she said as they walked side-by-side into the living room, "will Inuyasha be joining us?" Please no, she thought desperately.  
"Only if I take too long getting back," Kagome replied matter-of-factly. "He's really needy in that way. It's a bit pathetic, I guess." She shrugged.  
Her mother swallowed. "So," she said slowly, "how long will you be here?"Oh," Kagome said. "I have to go back tonight. I just came home to get some supplies. I also have to fill up the tub to wash my enormous jugs. I'd better get to it." With that she smiled in an excessively cute manner, stood, and carried the two large jars up the stairs to the bathroom.  
That's it? Mrs. Higurashi asked herself incredulously. She just drops by to take some food with hardly a word to me? Once again, tears began to stream from her eyes. She carefully climbed the stairs, and after making sure Kagome was in the bathroom, ran into her room, buried her face in her pillow, and began to sob uncontrollably.  
  
Kagome rushed downstairs just as the family was sitting down to dinner.  
"I'm sorry I didn't call you, honey," Mrs. Higurashi said, "but you were sleeping so peacefully."  
Kagome stretched. She had been sleeping in her warm, cozy bed all afternoon. "It's alright," she said smiling. "I'm starving! Let's eat!" With that she began stuffing food into her mouth, pausing only to proclaim the quality of the food.  
"So, Kagome," her mother said. "How are things going……on the other side?"  
Kagome waited until she had swallowed a large mouthful of food to respond. "It's going OK," she said. "We're doing alright, I guess, but Naraku keeps getting more shards of the Shikon no Tama."Ah," Grandpa said, "Naraku's the monk, right?"  
Kagome looked at her grandfather with disbelief. "That's Miroku," she said. "Naraku's the evil half-demon who killed Kikyou and Sango's village!"  
Mrs. Higurashi dropped the dishes she was carrying to the kitchen. "I'm not sure I like you hanging around that Inuyasha fellow," she said.  
"What?" Kagome asked incredulously. "He's saved my life countless times! And it's my fault that their world is in such chaos!"That may be," her mother responded, "but he's a bad influence. All that swearing and violence, and putting you in mortal peril! Besides, what do you intend to do when this is over? You've basically dropped out of school, so you'll never pass the exams. Can't you see that you're throwing your life away for this one immature boy?" She was shaking now, trying to fight off tears.

"Inuyasha is not a bad influence on me!" Kagome protested, jumping to her feet. "If anything, I'm a good influence on him! He's become a much better person since I met him!"  
Her mother's head drooped slightly. "Fine," she muttered, her voice wavering, "do as you wish." She couldn't take anymore for today. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight." Then she slowly walked out of the room and up the stairs to the bathroom. Upon arriving, she turned on the sink faucet, locked the door, leaned against it, and slid to the floor. How can she not see it? she wondered. How can she not realize what a horrible position she's putting me in? Quietly, she began to weep, but it was inaudible over the sound of running water.  
Downstairs, after a long pause, Kagome decided to climb the stairs herself and knocked on the bathroom door. "Mom?" she said.  
"Yes, honey?" Mrs. Higurashi responded, somehow managing to sound happy.  
Kagome was taken aback at her apparently good mood. "I just wanted to say I love you, Mom. I'm going now, so goodbye."  
Her mother didn't respond, but simply tried to fight off her tears. She cried so often nowadays. After a few moments, she cautiously opened the door, and walked into her bedroom, turned off the light, and curled up on the bed. She listened to Kagome cheerfully say goodbye to Grandpa, Souta, and Buyo.  
"Kagome!" Souta cried. "You forgot your jars!"  
"It's okay," she called back. "I'll have Inuyasha grab my big jugs later!"  
Mrs. Higurashi heard the front door close, and then there was silence. After a moment, she rolled over and cried herself to sleep.


End file.
